I have the vegetables ready for the oven.
This is what I used. Yukon gold potatoes unpeeled halved and quartered, red bell pepper, hatch pepper, shallots and frozen baby green beans.
This is what I did. After the veggies were chopped I added them to a large bowl and added olive oil to coat, kosher salt and cracked black pepper and sprinkled them about a tablespoon of with Herbs of Provence. I used a large baking sheet added a silicone baking sheet and arranged the vegetables on the pan. I baked at 400 degree's for 35-40 minutes.
What I should have done. The green beans I knew would be overdone but they turned out like cement french fries. I should have added them about halfway through. I normally do not use green beans but I had no other green veggie on hand. What works well is asparagus or broccoli but a couple of carrots adds flavor and orange color to the mix.
We always love roasted vegetables and they were a great accompaniment to the grilled chuck steak which tender and very juicy. A nice dinner we so enjoyed.
We have steak left so tonight I am going to morph it into carne asada taco's.
This is what I will do. I will cube the meat and heat a cast iron to hot. Add a drizzle of oil to the bottom of the skillet and toss in the meat and fry them sizzling just to heat. They get crispy smokey taste this way.
Then I will make up the taco's. I bought home style corn shells which I will make soft crispy and into them will go the grilled steak, grated cheese, chopped onion and chopped cilantro. Hubby will drizzle his tacos with Salsa Bravo hot sauce and I will use Taco Sauce.
I am not making re-fried beans from scratch tonight I will instead open a can of pinto beans and rinse and drain them. I will add these to a pot and heat them with a little chicken broth. When heated I will then mash them rough with my potato masher so some beans remain whole and some are smashed. While doing this I will add a little milk as the beans begin to get dry when they are mashed. We do not like them to dry.
So this will be our dinner tonight. One that hubby will totally enjoy.
It is a relaxing Sunday for us. My husband worked a few hours this morning finishing up a job and like I mentioned I ran for a few groceries and to the farm for more strawberries. So now our to-do's are out of the way and we are in a laze about mode. That is what I love about Sundays.
I need to search for my biscuit shortcake recipe as I have misplaced it but I can probably make them without the recipe. Basically my same good mile high biscuits but with a little more sugar.
We love strawberry shortcake on biscuits. I always slice my berries and add just a tad of sugar and cover them so they juice, if they are not as juicy as I like I mash them a little. Because biscuits can be a little drier than sponge or angel food cake the berries need that extra juice. And because of my lactose intolerance I cannot have real whipping cream so we will use Cool Whip. I am looking forward to that desert this evening while watching Next Food Network Star, always a fave show in this household.
Well now for sure I am out of here. I have posted twice today! Time to rest, laugh!
When we want a small bite size pizza this is what I do.
I always have Totino's Pizzas on hand in the freezer. I take one out and place thin slices of mozzarella cheese on it to cover the top. I use the mozzarella in the ball in the refrigerator case of the grocery store. I add whatever additional toppings we are wanting such as olives,onions,meat etc. Then it goes into a 450 degree oven for about 16 minutes we like the cheese to crisp around the edges and the bottom firm. Then I sprinkle a few torn pieces of the basil I grow in the kitchen on top. Presto! An amazing little pizza all grown up! I use an airrated pizza pan that I have had for years, it is totally black and in my opinion works as well as a pizza stone which are a pain to use. That pan makes for a very crispy crust like if you had placed the pizza right on your oven rack. So try this little semi-homemade pizza idea.
I so love to be in the kitchen prepping and cooking. I am one person that would enjoy a very functional kitchen with a big fridge, walk-in pantry,large gas range with two ovens, a built in wine cooler that stores more than a few bottles, a large island where guests can sit away from me while I prepare but still be in my presence. I had a kitchen just as I have described in our last home in Bend. I designed it so it had all the amenities I wanted and oh how I loved working in it. Also just adjacent to the kitchen was the dining area and the family room with a huge stone fireplace. All in this one big space. This area is where we truly lived.The kitchen I have now is a decent size kitchen. It has a pantry but not a walk in one. It has a good amount of counter space, we upgraded to stainless appliances and glass tiles between our cabinets and counters. All of this helps but still I do not have a gas range as we do not have gas coming into our house. My oak cabinets are in the need of refinishing and that is something we are going to tend to. Not a refinish but I want them painted in a vanilla color. With our oak floors it will be complimentary and not all the same as it is now. I like the hardware we have on the cabinets as they are stainless in the style of bin pulls. I need a new sink desperately as the white cast iron one I have is stained and scared. So I would like a black composite sink with a big high fancy stainless faucet. We plan on replacing our granite tiles on the counters we installed some years back to solid surface granite in black, brown and cream tones. So things are in the works as the money comes in. But still the design will remain the same. Our bar is useless except for counter space as there is no overhang and no room to add one so no one can sit there. I do have one bar stool sitting there and folks do hike up on it but it is not a comfortable perch. But it is what it is I will be thankful for the upgrades we will be making.
My how did I ever get started on this? I suppose the reason is just like I stated. I am a kitchen person so I am always thinking of ways to improve my space.
Well it is Father's day today so many of you have fun plans.
I must go now and attend to some things that did not get done as I needed to go grocery shopping this morning. I also made a run to farm for more strawberries. Oh my they are so juicy and sweet. I have all ready eaten a few. Tonight strawberry shortcake!
Oh this was a tasty little dinner last night.
I took two sockeye fillets out of the freezer thawed them and brushed them with soyaki.(You buy this at Trader Joes) then I readied the grill and placed the fillets on a hot oiled grill and brushed more soyaki on them while they cooked. One turn only added more glaze and took them off. I made green rice to accompany the dish. I sauteed, a shallot, and four sliced green onions and a 1/2 cup of minced flat leaf parsley in a combo of butter and olive oil in a large pan until translucent then added 3/4 cup long grain rice and cooked three minutes, then added one and 1/2 cup of chicken broth, 1 small bay leaf and a pinch of Cayenne. Then put on the lid and simmered for approximately 30 minutes. The rice was so good with the fresh parsley grown right in my herb barrel. I love flat leaf parsley always gives everything you add it to a lovely fresh finish. This was a nice light summer meal.
Soon our supply of sockeye salmon will be depleted. I have only four fillets left. I do have four large bags of white shrimp from Belize. So we will start working on those.
Today my husband will be home very early as he only has a coat to do on a floor. So he will do necessary weeding and some trimming of shrubs and trees. The vegetation just gets out of control if you are not on top of it.
My day will entail finishing the laundry, cleaning my house, taking a nice long walk, making out a grocery list, as we were gone I need to pick up a few supplies early tomorrow morning.
I plan on making strawberry shortcake for tomorrow nights meal (which I still have not planned.) There are no fathers at my house but I will give a call to my son and grandson who will be celebrating his first ever Fathers day.
Tonight for dinner I am grilling a chuck steak. It was a stranger hanging out in my fridge and needed my attention. So I will get a rub on it as soon as it thaws. So to go with the steak this evening I am roasting potato chunks with red bell pepper and shallots. I will serve sliced cucumbers and radishes for some freshness.
I now need to get myself out of this computer chair, away from this screen and start my day. Hubby could be home before I get out my sleepy clothes.
Have a super nice Father's day weekend.
We had dinner here last Sunday evening our first night in Florence. We were fortunate that we snagged a reservation at the last minute. This is a very good eatery with a reputation that keeps growing. There was a line out the door. There are only twenty tables and the bar seats about twenty-five. The place was full. The edge of the table in foreground in the middle was our table not bad for a last minute accommodation.
We both ordered their signature dish which is crab crusted halibut with sweet chili sauce, served with a crisp cesar salad. The fish had a crunchy crab crust on top. My fork broke through the crust and then slid into the silky halibut cooked to perfection. A dip into the sweet chili sauce and my taste buds were dancing the rumba.
We will definitely put this restaurant on our list every time we frequent Florence.
Our little five day getaway highlights were our first two nights at the Siuslaw Port Marina RV park adjacent to Old Town. As we walked the boardwalk along the marina and then popped into the many shops and eateries and pubs. Then we moved on toward the ocean and stayed at Heceta Beach RV park. There we enjoyed campfires and I enjoyed my husbands breakfasts that he graced me with cooked on the camp stove outside. No mess for me and the food was so delish. That man can put together a tasty breakfast. Walks on the beach were terribly windy so I declined but hubby went a couple of times coming back with his pockets loaded with shells and rocks. While he was gone from camp I enjoyed the quiet listening to the many song birds while reading.
It was great to get away but always nice to be home again.
Now as I never cleaned the trailer yesterday that is my chore for the day. I do not mind it is small and takes less than an hour. I keep it up while we are away but still I clean it extra good when returning home.
Here are few more photo's of our trip.
It was on this little trip from Bend to Eugene that I fell in love with my now husband.
We had been dating for five months and I was not ready to commit to a long term relationship. On the drive home from a fun filled day in Eugene of meeting old friends of my now husbands and having lunch and taking tours of where he went to school and lived I looked at him while he drove us back over the mountain to Bend and realized I had handed my heart over. However it was still almost two years until I told him I loved him though I had heard it from him on numerous occasions.
This photo was taken on the McKenzie pass.
I just thought I would write this little story as I ran across this photo while sorting through some photo's to scan. Seems every photo has a story behind it.
This where we stay when we go to Florence and want to be near the beach. It is a nice RV park and a short walk to the beach. We also stay at the Siuslaw Marina RV park in old town Florence. Both very nice in their different ways. I cannot wait for our trip.
Another beautiful day they just keep getting better and better. Love this time of year. Not to hot just perfect. We ate outdoors last night such a warm night and it was peaceful out in our back yard area.
Tonight for dinner I going to make tuna cakes. When I really do not plan a meal I always have the quality tuna in the pantry on hand. My son in law Douglas brings us a case occasionally and we so love it. Pacific Seafood premium albacore tuna. Yum! I am going to make some rice pilaf and a side salad to go with so it will be a nice light meal.
Well I have no chatter this morning and I need to go for my walk as the temperature is perfect for walking right now. See you later!
It was a good sale at Albertsons grocery yesterday. Not only was all this wine on sale if you buy six bottles mix and match or all the same you get an additional 20% off. I saved $12.00 which is like getting a bottle for free. I always do this when the 20% is offered usually all the grocers offer is 10% on six. So they are chilling out in the wine cooler. I have a rack that holds 40 bottles and a wine cooler that holds 32. So that is 72 bottles of wine. I have been rather neglectful however keeping them both full. When we drink a bottle I need to replace it ASAP. I only have 22 bottles total at present. So I have a lot to replace. I have an assortment of Chardonnay's as I am trying to find my truly favorite ones and stick with them. In reds I have most all the varieties but heavier on the cabs. We will be making a trip to wine country this summer and if we see a good deal on a case of wine we enjoy we will grab it up. Bottom line we both enjoy our wine.
I forgot to mention the Asian meal I prepared it was good but you know what it was a lot more detailed than my simple marinated beef and veggies stir fry and they taste very similar. So I am going to stick with my own version.Sometimes I get irritated with recipes and all the extra steps that are not needed. It seems the extra steps require more prep and extra dishes and pots and pans. I find I can adapt most recipes to fit a one pan or pot method.
Our dinner of polenta, peppers and sausage last night was as good as always. Only this time I really really loved it as I used sweet italian chicken sausage. The flavor of that sausage just added another dimension to the casserole. I really do not have the time to post the recipe with a photo today as I am pressed for time. I do think it is on this blog I will research that when time allows.
I need to share something funny at least it was amusing to me.
As this post centers on wine this is what occurred yesterday afternoon.
First of all my son calls it is about three-thirty he said he was sitting in sun and sipping Rodney Strong chardonnay. At about four PM while still talking to Mike I went and poured an icy cold glass of Chardonnay myself. I am still talking to my son at four-thirty and my hubby walks through the door carrying a bottle of his favortie wine. I started laughing so I am still talking to Mike on the phone and hubby is pouring a glass of cold white wine. While still talking to my son(we have long calls) my hubby and I move outdoors to the patio with our glasses of wine. Then the house phone starts ringing and run in with my cell while still chatting with my son and see it is my daughter on the house phone calling. So I drop off my son saying quick goodbye and I love you. Pick up the house phone and my daughter says, I was just sitting here in the sun sipping a glass of wine and thought I would call and chat for a bit! I just started laughing. What a bunch of wine drinking fools!
Well now it is time to take a quick shower and put on my walking shoes and take my walk before it heats up. It is to be almost 80 degrees today. There is much for me to do today so I best get to it.
